Famulus Deus

To My Parents

2011-06-09T08:19:00.001-04:00

I was watching the today show this morning as they were congratulations Ann Curry about her new position as anchor. As they were going through her life they showed when both of her parents passed away.
While most of you know I have given my daughter back to God I have not had to grieve my parents passing. As I watched her celebrate their lives and how they impacted her I began to think on my parents.
I have been blessed with the most generous, loving, amazing parents there are on this earth. I know some of you may disagree but all I have to say about that is TOUGH this is my blog and they are! :)
My folks divorced when I was 5 but they both have given me so much over the years that I have to say a great big THANK YOU!

If I could shout it from the rooftops or put it on Broadway I would. Unfortunately I can’t but I can tell you and the world how much I love and adore both of you.
As Father’s Day approaches I have to stop and think on the quiet, strength that my Dad possess. His grace abounds in so many ways. My Father is a great man, a great friend, a great brother, a great son, and a great husband. My Dad has loved me when I thought no man would. He has told me that I am beautiful when I thought that was impossible. He has supported me even when he may not have agreed with what I was doing. He showed me what my husband was supposed to be like. He told me what I should and shouldn’t accept/expect from a man. My Dad will also tell you that he doesn’t think he did any of these things. That is what makes him a great teacher too! He shows you in his way so you learn in your own way! I love you Daddy! You will always be my Daddy! Please know that your daughter loves you more than you can ever know! Thank you for loving my husband and being his friend. Thank you for showing him love he may have never known without you!
Mother’s Day just passed and I was blessed to not only spend it with my children but my mother, grandmother, cousins, aunts and uncle! My Mother made this happen! My Mother has helped to shape me into the woman I am! I can only say THANK YOU because I really like who I am! God gave me the greatest gift when he allowed me to be your daughter. You have pushed me to strive harder and supported me even when I made some bad choices. You always pointed me back to God when I felt like I was all alone. You picked me up when I stumbled. You kissed all my boo-boos away and told me that even when I fall it is getting back up that counts! You told me that men would come and go in my life but I would always have my mom! You prayed for my husband before we even knew who he was. You continue to pray for him daily and you are one of the reasons we have the marriage we do! You are a great MOM, a great friend, a great woman, a great wife, and a great daughter! You stick by me through thick and thin. You help me to be a better mom. You help me to see how God sees me. You are an amazing woman and I am so thankful for you!

Mom & Dad if you didn’t hear it in my words please know that . . . . .
I LOVE YOU!
I can’t imagine how my life would have been without you are my parents. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do! I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you!
From your daughter
Deana “DeeAnne” (Dee) Annette Brummett Langley

Clinging to the Rock of Faith

2010-08-26T12:31:00.000-04:00

Well it is 4 days til the 2nd anniversary of Alex’s homecoming. The past two years have been interesting to say the least. How can two years have flown by so fast and yet seem like the slowest sands through the hourglass?
As I have been mourning recently I have been blessed to speak with lots of wonderful people. As I have been battered through this period I realized that I have been clinging to my faith. I have heard so many say “It is so good you have your faith.” Well I am just like everyone else feeling like I don’t have even a mustard seed of faith. Then I also realize that as I have been battered I am clinging to this rock as the waves pound over me.
I began to get that image in my head. Me in the middle of an ocean of pain, strife, grief, anger, and despair. As I am drowning I am holding on to the sustainable rock. The rock doesn’t move, doesn’t give in, and doesn’t back down. My hands are cut, and bloodied from holding on to this rock but it is all I have to keep me alive.
That is God to me right now. I hurt so deep that words couldn’t explain the magnitude. My heart has been shattered into so many pieces you couldn’t possible put it back together. Like a broken plate that can’t be repair it just needs to be thrown away. And even though I hurt I cling to this rock. I don’t know how to not cling to this rock.
I have read my bible several times. Do I know it all? NO not even close but there are passages that I hold in my soul and mind. I cling to these words. I know that either God tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Or he is a liar. There is no in between. He can’t be truthful some of the time. It’s either all or nothing. So I believe his word.
I know lots of people in tough times cling to Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
And I love that scripture too. I have been holding on to that rock knowing that God has a plan. I don’t understand the plan. I wish that this wasn’t his plan. I would rather have my daughter in my arms. To see how tall she has become. To hear her speak of boys as she is getting ready for her 7th grade dance. I wish for so many things like that but I know God has a plan for me. She has the easy part. She is with him and knows the plan. I am the one down here having to suffer through with it. But Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t all of the scripture. There is more:
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. [b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
I don’t know if over the past two years if I have sought him diligently with all my heart 20% of the time but I know I have some. I know I have stomped my feet and shook my fist at him too. But I also know that I am holding on with everything I am to his promise.
I am clinging to faith. I am clinging to God. For I know I am nothing without him. I can do nothing without him. I need him.
Father I know I am impatient. I know I am not where you want me to be but please continue to point me in the direction I am supposed to go. Thank you for giving Alex to me for the time I had her. Help my heart to heal. Help Matt to heal as well. Please hold our family in your hands. Please allow us to be transparent enough for you to shine through.

Philippians 3:19 - by Dee

2009-12-21T00:30:00.003-05:00

It’s 11:45pm on Sunday 12/20/09 and I am still awake! Why? Cause God wants to talk. I have these moments where God says: “Ok you’re not distracted, you can’t tune me out anymore, and I won’t let you sleep until I get to say a few words to you!” Of course like every human being who thinks they know better I try and rationalize whether I’m hearing from God or if Satan is trying to torture me.
He gives me a verse, Philippians 3:19. Now my mind jumps straight to Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” So again here I am trying to rationalize. I know that verse VERY WELL! “No” he says Philippians 3:19. And of course I don’t know that verse. So again I think is this really God? I lay in the dark for a little while longer hoping to fall asleep or maybe get some other verses but neither happens. I run over the books of the bible in my head and try to settle maybe on one that was in Pastor Rob’s sermon from this morning. “No” he says Philippians 3:19. Ok I get it! I will go read it now. Downstairs I go, open my bible and this is what it said:
They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

I have heard Pastor Rob say that Paul and Timothy wrote the letters to the Church at Philipi. This was one of those letters. When I first read this passage I didn’t understand do I decided to read the beginning of the letter to the end of the chapter. Phil 3:17-21
Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

These words exploded to me. I admit I am a slave to my appetite! I eat, I overeat, I sinfully eat. I hate myself when I eat! I wish I didn’t have to eat. But I do and I have let this become a God. I AM SORRY FATHER! HELP ME! You made me, You know me, I CAN’T DO THIS ON MY OWN! I NEED YOU!
Most of you who know me know that I am a very musical person. I am always singing some tune and it doesn’t take much to get a tune stuck in my head. While I am at this point writing down what is happening this tune shows up.
Peter Frampton’s I want you to show me the way.

Oh won't you show me the way
I want you to show me the way
I want you day after day

And that is what I need Father; I want you to show me the way! Most of you know that I have battled my weight since high school. It hasn’t been a huge battle being a teenager but as I got older it has been a knock down, drag out, Mike Tyson fight. Well right now my appetite is winning. THIS STINKS!!! I know lots of people have weight issues but I am a Christ Follower and I am not supposed to have any God’s before him. Yet I do! I have lost this weight twice before only to have gained it back. I am now officially at my heaviest weight again for the second time! And I have heard a bunch of folks say “Well, after this past year you have had every reason to eat.” Yeah I do have the reason but it doesn’t mean I should have done it. I am tired of this God running my life! I only have one God and I can’t serve two masters. FATHER YOU ARE THE ONE TRUE GOD!! HELP ME!!! You said in your word:
1 Samuel 17:47
All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

Father this battle is yours I can’t fight it! I don’t have the strength! I am weak Father please help me! I have been seeing a gastric bypass doctor for over two months now and it will probably be another two months before I have the surgery but having God give this verse to me tonight made me realize that I have had another God before him. I have/am trying to live this life on my own. I don’t want to do that. I want to walk with him daily. I pray daily. I pray pretty much hourly. I talk with God all day but I have been serving my other master. Now it is time to serve the ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD!

We have been completely reorganizing our house. We hadn’t touched the house in 16months. It has been a rough road but we had been leaning on God or so I thought. Really we had been just kind of surviving. Getting up and breathing every day. Existing. Does that make sense?? I hadn’t been living. I had been going through the motions but I wasn’t really living. Well this past October when we began this journey with the weight loss clinic it was the beginning of the refreshing of the Langley household. We cleaned out the clutter in the house. We reorganized, and we began to live again. We have begun to grow again. Guess what?!? Growth hurts! Remember when you were about 13 or 14? Do you remember crying because your legs hurt so bad? I do! Well here I am again, hurting! God used Philippians 3:19 to show me what I am doing. So I hit my knees and beg him for help as only he can.

Life After. . .

2009-09-22T12:53:00.010-04:00

To say this year has been interesting is an understatement. Most folks would say this year was hard, difficult, challenging or even bad. I say the year was interesting because it has been a place I didn’t know I would have to go.
When Carl was diagnosed with Autism in 2003 I read an article trying to describe autism to a person with no idea of what autism is and how it affects you. The article described it this way (I’m paraphrasing).
You have planned a trip to France. You have learned French, you have studied the maps of France, you know where you are going to go, how to get there and what sites you are going to see. You pack your bags; you have everything you need for the trip. You board the plane but when you land you are not in France you are in Argentina.
Argentina is nice and all but you have no clue of where you are, or where to go, what to see, how to speak the language or even if you are properly equipped to be in Argentina.
That is what this year has been like.
Most people have said “You are so strong” “You have touched so many lives” “I don’t know how you do it”. Well there is one answer to all those statements: JESUS!!!
When you hear the pastor’s say you must become less so he can become more. This is what they speak of. When people say those things to me I am thankful that they see that but each time I pray “Father God please allow them to see who you truly are! Not me! I am nothing without you and I know that I can do nothing without you!” I am not strong but God is! I have not saved one person but God has and if he has chosen to use me then I am the better for it! And I can’t tell God thank you enough for allowing this broken woman to fulfill his purpose!
I know lots of people who didn’t make it after the loss of a loved one but I also know lots of people who have made it. The crucial element is JESUS!!! In the past year there have been times where I have broken down. They have come at inconvenient times, messy times, down right wrong times. They have come when I had to be broken down in front of others. BUT it also shows that it is NOT ME but HIM that lives in me that keeps me going.
I didn’t know that I had to live my life through the death of a child. There are days I wish I could change it but on those days I know I am being selfish and Alex would not want to come back here after sitting with our Lord!
I also wouldn’t say our year has been bad. We have had some bumps but overall we have had some amazing experiences as well. Today September 20, 2009 I was allowed the amazing pleasure of watching my baby chose to follow Christ!!!

What an extreme pleasure that Lord allowed me to experience!! I have gotten to see all three of my children choose to follow Christ. I don’t think I could have asked for a better gift. It is one thing to give birth to a child but to give them back to the Lord is a completely different experience. Words can not express the joy, love, peace, amazement, and thrill that you feel watching this moment.

So is there Life After? Yes there is life after. Yes there was life before but what an amazing life we get to live when we live it all out for Him!!!

Pain - By Dee

2009-08-30T14:55:00.005-04:00

How many of us live our lives in the perpetual evasion of pain?? I would say ALL OF US, Why?CAUSE PAIN HURTS!!! Right!?!

How many of us search out pain? Most of us don’t really even think about avoiding pain but how many times have you thought “Oh if I could win the lottery my life would be perfect!” We know that God wants to use us and we like the idea of God using us but the practical application isn’t always as easy. We have been told God doesn’t care about our comfort he cares about our character but what does that really mean?? We know that in the bible it says:

Matthew 6:26 - Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? So are we getting conflicting messages from God. NO! He loves us and wants to use each and every one of us but we can be self focused. It is hard to put your eyes on God when the house payment is late or the electricity is going to be cut off. But that is the place he wants us to grow to.

Today is the one year anniversary of Alexandra’s passing. As I reflect on this year, I have had some great experiences and there have been some really bad moments as well. One of the things that I have thought about and prayed over was the day of the accident. When the accident happened the first thing I did was pray. I was praying out loud. Not a silent one, under my breath but a loud declaration to the Lord. I yelled out “You are the Great Physician and you can heal my child.” All of this was before I even had a chance to see Alex. When I finally did get to see her I knew that God has chosen to take my beautiful daughter. At that moment I began to thank the Lord for my Alex and saying I love you. I think it may have been a cross between a heart-felt thanks and a pleading for him to give me back my child.

Over this past year I have developed an amazing relationship with Jesus and I know that this is just the beginning. I have LOTS of work to do to keep this relationship functioning properly and keep me growing the way I am supposed to.

Before Alex passed I was completely self focused. We saw today that at some point in our lives we think we are the center of the universe. And I can say now that I MUST decrease while he increases. I do not think (by any stretch of my imagination) that I have become completely God focused. That is what I am working on.

So what does this have to do with pain? Well pain is a great vehicle. It may not be the most comfortable ride but it will get you to the place God wants you! I started thinking about the pain we have seen in our life times or the pain we have been told about and how it effects us. As most of us avoid pain what would have happened if Mary had avoided the pain she went through to have Jesus? And of course what if Jesus had avoided the pain he endured for each of us? WHERE WOULD WE BE??? Lost and even more desperate than where we are now!!

So while we are always trying to avoid pain maybe it’s time we rethink this path. Maybe instead of “Oh God! Why ME!” Maybe it’s time we say “ok Lord I may not understand but I trust you.” “Show me what I am supposed to learn from this”. You may just learn that God has a completely different direction for you. I know that this isn’t the direction I envisioned for my life but I also know that I trust God. He loves me! Not only that but he LOVES MY DAUGHTER!!! And He only has what’s best for all of us at heart. I may not see how losing Alex is the best but I trust him. I know he brought her home when it was the most merciful for her.

As I sit here I am beyond thankful for 10 years, 6 weeks and 2 glorious days that I got to share with the most beautiful little girl!!! I cannot wait until I get to see her again. I am thankful for an absolutely amazing bunch of folks who make up Southbrook Church. You guys have loved on us, encouraged us, and stood besides us this whole time!!

I was blessed by one of the Amazing Southbrook folks. Denise Covert gave me a heartfelt image of Alex that I had not thought of before. I know that when God chooses to call me home not only will I be ready to gaze at his face but I will get to see my sweet girl jumping up and down waving her arms welcoming me home! Until that time whenever I am in need of comfort from the pain I will not only ask Jesus “What do I need to do for you Lord?” But I will also run to him just like this and ask for him to give me peace when I need it.

Overwhelmed!?! - By Dee

2009-07-24T08:20:00.003-04:00

Why is it that when you are down everything seems to get piled on at once? Does that happen in your life? You may start out your day with that small self doubting whisper but by lunch it is a full-on personal assault! What I am fighting right now is learning how to stop my racing mind!! Are you in the same boat with me? I am my own worst critic. Either I’m too fat, or too loud, or too nice, or too silly, or too soft or too hard, or too whatever!!??!! Why is it so easy to beat ourselves up? Why would you say such ugly hateful things to yourself? Can you see you saying these things to your children, or your spouse? NO of course not then why is it ok to say these things to yourself!

I am really starting to see a trend in my life. Satan knows that I am hardest on myself so it will start with a small something. Just something for him to whisper in my ear about. Then comes the next thing and a third or a forth or a fifth. By the time he is done I am in full on panic mode and ready to run screaming into the hills. I am learning how to quiet my mind. We all know the "rules" we place on ourselves. I’m going to read my bible today for 30 minutes and we try to squeeze it in the 5 minutes before we fall asleep. Well I have been reading, praying and contemplating the time when Jesus was in the desert and Satan threw a whole bunch of those small whispers at Him. Instead of letting them pile up Jesus took care of them one at a time. He fought them off with scripture. So I have been trying to do that. The hard part when I have started this is to recognize when it is Satan. I have taken time to be with my boys while I work part time. It hasn’t been great on our budget. That is one thing that Satan has been whispering in my ear about and I am sure with the economy the way that it is he isn’t just whispering in my ear. So on a pay day I sit down to pay all the bills, this is when the whispering starts. That is when I take 30 seconds to combat this thought.

(Deep Breath in), My Father supplies all of my needs according to his riches and glory.

Matthew 6:25-34
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

And as that thought or attack wanes or passes someone that I have been working with calls me to say they don’t want to work with me anymore. I wish them all the blessings I can and when they call me a name and hang up on me, I begin to laugh because I know this person doesn’t know me and the name they called me is so off base. Then that whispering comes in. "Are you sure they aren’t right about you?" NO! I KNOW THEY ARE NOT RIGHT ABOUT ME!

Psalm 139:13 I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

As that passes Satan throws Alex’s accident in my face. I knew as soon as that came up that it was from him. Why?? Because I wouldn’t let these other things bother me he had to use my rawest emotion right now. Now when he uses Alex it is one of the hardest things for me to fight. I will catch myself balling my hands into fists. When I see this in myself I have to remind myself of what a true friend said to me. God has every right to change my life in anyway he sees fit to bring him greater glory! I know that the Lord has a plan and I so desperately want to follow the plan he has for my life!!! I want to be who he created me to be so I can shine his glory everywhere! So I do my best to ward off the attacks. I am still my own worst critic but I now can see when it is coming from outside, from those small whispers.

It is now starting to bleed over into my marriage too! The whispers that cause those arguments are when my husband doesn’t understand what I am saying or we hear something completely differently than what the other person said. I am starting to be able to see when those whispers are causing problems between my husband and I. So instead of getting overwhelmed try using those little bible verses you remember or turn on some Christian music or listen to an inspirational CD, or radio station (or better yet Sara Scott’s new CD) and allow God to envelope you in a his love. It’s impossible for those whispers to continue when he is sitting there with you, however, that is one of His greatest promises, that He will always be there with you!

Hold On - By Dee

2009-07-08T12:10:00.002-04:00

This can mean two completely different things. One holding on to things; You know, "white knuckling" it. Or holding on, like waiting for something. We are tackling with how we hold on to things we should not. I will give you a personal example. Does anyone remember doing the 40 days of Purpose by Rick Warren? If you did, how many of you thought, "I will get to the end of this book and I will know exactly what to do with my life."? I did!! I will let you know I was very disappointed. God didn’t send me the personal road map of my life with that book! But in one of the lessons Pastor Warren said to look around the room and see if you could pick out the “EGR” in your group. Now if you don’t know or don’t remember the EGR is the person who extra grace is required. As I sat in my small group I looked around and realized that no one else could be the EGR, so it must be ME! I carried the EGR label for over 5 years. I felt so down on myself. I kept beating myself up for being too loud, or too excitable, or being too heavy, or not being who I thought God made me to be. It was when in the women’s ministry I was blessed with a mentor. I told my mentor the story of being an EGR. She looked me dead in the face and said “I think it’s time you let that go!” What do you mean let that go? A pastor pointed out my flaw and I have to accept my flaw don’t I? Don’t I have to learn to be in my little EGR space and not impinge on anyone else’s space as to make them uncomfortable?

As I listen to God speak to my heart I begin to hear His love for me. He began to weave this immense love for me that I had never experienced before. I could hear his words in my head. Why would you let Satan twist three letters to make you feel so unworthy? I created you! I built you to be loud, and excitable. When you start to see who you truly are you will embrace your natural instincts because I put them there.

What have you been holding on to? What did your Mother, Father, Teacher, friend, or Pastor say that you immediately accepted as the truth and in turn labeled yourself? I believe that most people are their own worst critics. Why is it that we continually beat ourselves up?? Why is it so easy to accept the lies Satan throws at us and yet so hard to accept God’s truth. The further away you get from your creator the easier it is to believe everything else. Think about Atheists. They have gotten so far from God that the world’s logic sounds completely logical. Think about some of the cultists that you have seen. Do you remember the Heaven’s day cult?? The people who believed that alien’s were going to come down and save them from the rapture. Now you and I look at this from the outside and say “I can’t believe they would believe in that nonsense!” But we are not much different. Cause we believe the insane things we say about ourselves, right?? I’m fat, I’m ugly, I’m an EGR, I’m too loud, I’m too quiet, I’m not worthy! All of these are lies!! You may be heavy but God wouldn’t say that to you. He would say why are you running to food instead of me?!! This is a hard one for me! Why would you say you are ugly? You are beautifully and wonderfully made.

Psalm 139:14

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

He made you and as the little saying goes “God doesn’t make junk!” Yeah that is easy to say! But how do we take it from a saying to the true way we feel. Well here is what I have been doing:

John 8:32 (New International Version)

32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Lately, when I have been giving myself two hundred lashings I think I deserve, I have to stop my thoughts. Would God truly say that to me?? Is this bringing me closer to him or making me feel guilty, sad, anger, etc? I am not saying guilt, sadness, or anger are bad things but God uses these emotions to have you seek after him.

Are you seeking him?

Philippians 2:13 (New International Version)

13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Remember that God created you for HIS GLORY but you have a specific purpose! You may not know what it is but if you continue to seek him he will reveal it to you. Albeit one step at a time!! And if you are like me that can be painful slow but I have learned the hard way that I would rather have it slow then all at once. Cause I know if I got it all at once I would run away screaming!!

Trust - By Dee

2009-06-29T23:04:00.003-04:00

How many times have you heard a sermon that told you to trust in the Lord?? Have you ever wanted to yell out at the preacher “HEY HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT?” I have! We constantly hear “Seeing is believing” or “You’ve got to have faith!” Oh Yeah!! Well where is the faith store so I can buy some! Oh well you have to follow these rules and faith will come! Am I going to get a box on my door step? What are these rules? What happens if I miss or skip one? Do I not get my faith then? Did you know that you have faith already? When you apply for a job you anticipate getting it, right? You play in your mind that scene of you shaking your new boss’ hand and saying yes. Well that is a type of faith. What about when you are pregnant. You anticipate a child, correct. Well that is a type of faith too. What about when the power is going to be turned off or your house is up for foreclosure. Do you have faith then?? I can hear some of you “Yeah Faith that I am going to lose my house”. Well in a way you are right. How are we supposed to trust someone we have never seen? Some of you may even think how am I supposed to trust someone I haven’t even heard of or heard from?

When my daughter passed away I thought Lord this wasn’t in the plan! I have faith, I have you, I have done my part. This wasn’t in the plan!!! What happened to Jeremiah 29:11 for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord They are plans for good not for disaster to give you a future and a hope. My daughter dying is for good?!? What good can come of that?? I hurt Father my heart is broken. How is this a future and it certainly can not be hope! But I was wrong. For those of you who are struggling so hard to keep your house or to keep the lights on or to keep going each day when breathing is the hardest thing to do. God HAS A PLAN FOR YOU!!

In God’s word Psalm 143:8 he says for us to ask of him

Psalm 143:8 (New International Version)
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

So how are you to “Hear his unfailing love every morning?” Well we wake up breathing, that is the first sign! But what about his unfailing love? How many of you have felt like God let you down? I sure know I have! But let’s take a look at it from another perspective, shall we?

Deuteronomy 31:6 (New International Version)
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Now that doesn’t mean you are always going to get what you want. But it does mean he has a plan. You may not be able to see it either! His plan may involve a change for you. It did for me!

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (New International Version)
16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Isaiah 41:10 (New International Version)
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

There have been days that getting up and breathing were the last things I wanted to do but I would throw my pity party. Then I would dust myself off and go about my day. I have yelled, I have screamed, I have shaken my little fist at God. I have come to the conclusion that he is in control. No matter how much I want things to go my way. He is in control. No matter how many lottery tickets I buy, how many prayers I pray for me to be taken home, he is in control. He has a plan. He asks us to trust him, to trust in him, and to be willing to go where he tells us to go. We may not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel but that isn’t where we are supposed to be looking anyway.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

We are supposed to keep reading his word for the direction in our lives. For where we are supposed to take the next step. Keep our eyes upon him. I hear you again saying “Yeah my boss is going to love that, Sorry I need to pray before we make this decision, can you hold on for a second?” I am not saying literally but how many of you start your day thanking him for what he has done and offering your day up to him for his work? As the power gets turned off or the bank takes your house. Trust that he is moving but he may be moving you to a different place so you can shine his light to someone who otherwise may never have seen it!

Jesus Is Alive!

2009-06-19T14:11:00.003-04:00

Walls we couldn't move came crashing down

Phil Wickham - True Love (The Wall) from Dan Stevers on Vimeo.

Britt Nicole - Don't Worry Now

2009-06-01T13:40:00.001-04:00

Remember Veterans

2009-05-25T12:10:00.001-04:00

Remember Veterans

Answered - We love you Alex!

2009-05-18T20:28:00.003-04:00

A Mother's Prayer (HANNAH'S SONG) - A Father's Prayer Too : )

Verse:
My sweet baby on loan from above
no better treasure could I more love
I stand here beside your bed as I pray
I lay my hand on your head and I say:

Chorus:
May you grow up to serve Him
all of your days
May He lead you and guide you
in all of your ways
May His hand bless your future with
friendships that last
May you cherish your youth
and not grow up too fast

Verse:
I stare in wonder at your tiny frame
Just to think that God knows you by name
He knows every hair on your beautiful head
He knows all your thoughts before they are said

Chorus:
May you grow up to serve Him
all of your days
May He lead you and guide you
in all of your ways
May His hand bless your future with
friendships that last
May you cherish your youth
and not grow up too fast

Prayer:
May God grant you peace
in the midst of a storm
May God give you strength even
when youre forlorn
May you answer the door when
Jesus comes knocking
May wisdom guide you when
your mouth is talkin
May discretion protect you
and keep you pure
May you never stumble
or fall for a lure
May your heart remain humble
to the very end
May uprightness and truth
be what you defend
May the world not ensnare
or change who you are
May the light that's within you
shine like the stars
May angels surround you
body, spirit, mind
May favor and peace be yours to find
May rejection and pain
never reach you
May your spirit grow bold
for what youre called to

As you rest in Gods care I will rest too
Knowing that Jesus is watching over you
Amen

Hannah speaks: I love you, Mommy

Thank You Jesus for Being There...Always

2009-04-11T20:14:00.006-04:00

This song hit home with Dee and I, just heard it today.

Guest Post Sara Scott - Matthew 6:30

2009-02-03T11:42:00.006-05:00

“And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”

Things happen in our lives that we don’t understand. Maybe that’s the point. Trust is letting go of trying to control and figure things out for yourself, and letting God take care of you the way He sees fit. Your job transfers you somewhere new, after years of living comfortably in the same place. Why God? You’re barely scraping by as it is, and now the car decides it doesn’t want to run anymore without a major overhaul. Why God? Your life seems perfect, no worries, things are amazing, then major tragedy strikes. Why God? Well, maybe instead of asking Why?, we should be asking Why not? Part of the human condition seems to be always focus on the present problems, the lowly state we’re in at that moment, how desperate we are for this or that, always a focus on self. But what of the big picture? How will our family be strengthened by an uprooting to somewhere completely different? Who does God have us lined up to come in contact with while we’re waiting on our car to be fixed? How will our brokenness from a major loss be used to strengthen and encourage other believers?

God is good. He knows what He’s doing. He loves us, with a real, true love that does not wrong. He makes sure that birds are fed and taken care of, how much more those who are called His children, who are made in his image and have Him living in them? When we put our faith and trust in Him, good times and bad, and continue to give Him the glory, our lives truly do echo His greatness and attest to the great things that He has done.

Challenge:
Stop working about it. Remember that God made and is in control of everything. He loves His children, He cares for His children, Her wants us to let Him take care of us. SO LET HIM. Say “Whoa there!” to the control freak inside.

Prayer:
Lord, help us to remember that You are in control. Help us to truly trust that You will provide and that You know best. You are, after all, Our Father. Help us to remember that it’s not about us, that everything we go through and experience allows us to be of better use to You. Grant us Your beautiful peace that comes when we submit and surrender to You. We love you. Please be patient with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Who Am I?

2009-01-25T14:18:00.006-05:00

This video has probably been around for a while but I had to share. Check it out!

Rick Warren's Inaugural Invocation for Barack Obama

2009-01-20T16:22:00.004-05:00

Like him or love him the invocation was moving.

"Let us pray. Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory. History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made. Now, today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hingepoint of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven. Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders. Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ. Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of goodwill today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care. I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever". Amen"

Flight 1549 Survivors Visit Southbrook Church

2009-01-19T12:03:00.008-05:00

Many media outlets have reported on this story. One station even mistakenly called our church "Stonebrook", I will give them some grace for the minor discrepancy ; ) I say Stonebrook, Southbrook whatever you call it, God was given ALL the glory, honor, and praise for what the crew did, for what the passengers did for one another, and also for what they said about this event. One survivor believed that he was on that flight for a reason and the pilot was on that flight for a reason. God put him on that flight for growth, it was "his time to stretch" and "to step up". He went on further to say that "if one thing doesn't go right, one thing, it's a whole different world, everything and everybody did the right thing, how can you explain it? God and Jesus were there". That pretty much sums it up in one sentence. Thank you for those words of inspiration, faith, and hope. God bless all of you! Listen to the PodCast here.

My Tube

2009-01-05T14:48:00.003-05:00

No Life is an Incomplete Life : By Dee

2008-12-28T18:45:00.006-05:00

"What a precious thing a daughter is." (extracted from Greg Laurie’s words)

As I read Greg Laurie’s Blog about his son Christopher “Topher”, I realized he said some things that I wanted to say. I have used his blog and inserted some things about Alex that I have wanted to say. Saturday, August 30, 2008 was the worst day of my life. The unimaginable happened. We never think about our children leaving this earth before us. But it happened when my daughter, Alexandra, was suddenly called to heaven. At first, the fear was consuming. It was like I walked into the worst dream I had ever had, I wanted to wake up and I wanted it to stop! But it wouldn't. As I tried to gather my wits about me I felt God’s hand. As the confusion lead to the realization of what was happening I started to call on God’s name and call on his promises. “Father God you raised Lazarus from the dead I call on you to do the same thing for Alexandra. You are the great physician and I am your child.” As the situation became crystal clear I began thanking him for saving Will and giving me Alex. I told Alex how much I love her, how I was blessed by being her mother! But in the end, there are no answers for a situation like the loss of a daughter. In accepting God's will, Job said,"Naked I came from my mother's womb,And naked shall I return.The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;Blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21 NKJV) In acceptance, there is peace, but not always answers. God grants us "a peace that passes understanding," not one that necessarily gives understanding. There is no "why" in the midst of our pain, just "what" and "who." I love my daughter with all of my heart, she was the most precious girl from the moment I felt her next to my heart. We love Alexandra! Not only do we pray for Alex but her grandparents do as well. She knew that, and we know she loved us. The last years of her life were wonderous. On July 31, 2005 she had committed herself to the Lord, and was baptized. People would often come up to me and say, "Alex, is such a wonderful girl and she always wants to help!” Alexandra’s calling was to use her skills to glorify God and point others to Christ. I love to worship God and I hope in some part I showed her how to do that. That is why I do what I do.

I cry for Alexandra every day. Sometimes, every hour. Sometimes, every few minutes. I miss her and I wish I could take her place, but I can't. There are times that I wish I was with her, but I can’t be. Matthew is grieving with me. He has become the Godliest husband I could ever know. I cannot imagine why the Lord would think so much of me to allow me to have such a wonderful husband.

We trust God through all of this, and we are trying to keep our hearts open to whatever His will may be. Our church family has been an amazing source of support every step of the way.
Matthew’s grandparents are in their 90’s and have said before that they are ready to be called home. Quoting the verse from 2 Timothy 4 verse 7:"I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return." (vv. 7–8 NLT)

No life is an incomplete life.

Alexandra completed her task. She finished her race, and she is in the arms of Jesus. But I will be honest with you; I still deeply, deeply miss her. Matt said the other night as we were driving home from Alex’s school memorial concert. “We wonder what kind of parents we are.” “Obviously we did what we were supposed to do cause Alex did her job!” I remember a lot of things about my beautiful girl! One of my memories is the little thing she used to do every night. We would say prayers, read our bible story, give “sugars” and hugs, then turn out the lights to go to bed. It would never fail that as soon as I shut her door “Momma . . . “. “Yes, Alexandra” I would say. And the sweetest simplest words would come out “I love you!”
“I Love you too baby girl!”

Greg Laurie wrote this about losing his son in July of this year: "There is a story I have often told about a time I took Topher shopping for Star Wars figures in the late '70s. I had told him to pick out one he wanted. He thought about it a long time, and finally decided on one of the small figurines from the bottom shelf, which as I recall, was the Han Solo one. Meanwhile, I had been looking three shelves up at Solo's spacecraft, the Millennium Falcon. I said, "Well, why don't we get this to go with your new figure?" His little eyes lit up. "Dad! Thank you!" And he gave me a big hug. We would come home from the toy store with some big new prize like this, and sometimes my wife would roll her eyes, because we really couldn't afford it. But then Topher and I would run upstairs to his room, plop on the floor, open up the toys, and play with them together. Looking back now, I don't regret any of it. Nor does my wife. After a while, Christopher learned that when we were in a toy store and I asked him what he wanted, his best bet was to say, "You choose, Dad!" And I would always get him something better than he would have chosen for himself. I have often used that as an illustration to point out that we should let God choose for us, and never be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God. God's plans for you will always be better than your plans for yourself. (see Jeremiah 29:11—13)"

As Greg pointed out: now in this moment of crisis, I am the daughter and I am in the place where I am saying to God, "You choose." It's not the choice I would make, but I believe He has chosen well, and I rejoice that my daughter is in heaven with Jesus Christ. My heart is broken, but I also know I will see her again. This all has made heaven closer and earth less attractive to me. It has increased my burden for people who do not know the Lord. I have a personal investment in heaven. It has made me even more diligent to help me learn how to worship our Lord!

Thank you for your prayers—and even for your expressions of personal pain. I have been called by great men and women of God who have spoken into my life in ways I have never heard before, about what the Lord will do through these days of loss and grieving. It is a luxury I do not deserve. But this we know, our faith is real. There is Life—Life with a capital "L"—after death. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:25 NKJV).
And then He must have looked His friend Martha right in the eyes, and said, "Do you believe this?" (v. 26) I do believe it.

Jesus also said, "I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life" (John 5:24 NLT).

Thank God for that hope. I trust you have it, too. If you don't, Please go to www.southbrookchurch.com or call this number 1-800-need-him

The Refiner's Fire

2008-12-18T10:41:00.002-05:00

I received an e-mail today from my father-in-law that was just too good to not post and pass on. I have taken creative license to modify some of the content of the e-mail. Enjoy!

Good Morning Matthew,

I hope and pray for you everyday that GOD continues to refine you, like the passage from Malachi 3:3 (Amplified Bible) He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the priests, the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord offerings in righteousness.

This verse may seem puzzling so here is a story to help explain what I think it means. A woman in a bible study group, reading Malachi of course, offered to find out the process of silver refining. The woman called a silversmith and set up an appointment to watch him at work. So one day she went and met the silversmith and watched him while he worked. As she was watching him he explained the process while actually refining some silver. “Well you see ma’am you have to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames are the hottest. This is to burn away all the impurities.”

She asked “does it have to sit there in the hottest part of the fire all the time while the silver is being refined?”

He said “yes not only do I have to keep it sitting there while holding it, but I have to keep an eye on the silver the entire time it is in the fire. If the silver is left a moment to long in the flames it will be destroyed.”

The woman asked. “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and said, “That’s easy, when I see my reflection in it”.

So if you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that GOD has his eye on you and will keep on watching you until he sees His image in you.

We love you all very much Matthew, DeeAnn, and the children. Thought you would like this.

Pops AKA; Dad

I do like it Dad, I really do. Love you.

Please Pray For This Man And His Family

2008-12-11T09:38:00.006-05:00

The link below is to a church website in San Diego. It is a web page dedicated to Mr. Dong Yun Yoon and his family. The man lost his wife, his 1 month old daughter, I believe his niece, and his mother in an F-18 fighter jet crash this past Monday in San Diego.

In Loving Memory of the Yoon Family

Because a military jet was involved I wanted to offer up a few words to both the family of the crash survivors and military families that have lost a loved one in defense of our freedom. Track with me for a minute.

I was watching Saving Private Ryan the other night. There is a scene where WWII, Chief of Staff, General Marshall learns that the mother of one Private James Ryan would soon be receiving 3 telegrams from the war department informing her that 3 of her sons, Ryan's brothers, were killed in action. Immediately General Marshall gave orders to his subordinates to find capable men who's mission it would be to bring the only surviving brother, Private Ryan, back home to Iowa. To explain his reasoning for such a bold and seemingly foolhardy mission he read the following out loud to his men:

"I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom. –Abraham Lincoln."

Those words, written over a hundred years ago, still ring true today. We should give all the families positively contributing to society, helping one another, and serving our country's citizens, whether in the military or not, all of our appreciation, our respect, and our heartfelt prayers for the all the sacrifices they make. May God bless, keep, and protect you always. In Jesus name, Amen.

Believe the Good News and Spread Joy to Everyone

2008-12-03T16:19:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 12:1-6 (GNT)

A day is coming when people will sing, "I praise you, Lord! You were angry with me, but now you comfort me and are angry no longer. God is my savior; I will trust him and not be afraid. The Lord gives me power and strength; he is my savior. As fresh water brings joy to the thirsty, so God's people rejoice when he saves them." A day is coming when people will sing, "Give thanks to the Lord! Call for him to help you! Tell all the nations what he has done! Tell them how great he is! Sing to the Lord because of the great things he has done. Let the whole world hear the news. Let everyone who lives in Zion shout and sing! Israel's holy God is great, and he lives among his people."

The Time Has Come

2008-10-28T21:32:00.005-04:00

We are almost ready to blog again. Thank you Father for the peace which passes all understanding and a big thank you to everyone for your prayers, we love you. MD(A)CW (hugging and missing the A)

Fly To Jesus Baby

2008-10-01T12:06:00.001-04:00

We love and miss you Alex. MDCW

Rise Today

2008-08-15T21:26:00.000-04:00

(Everything I Am) For Your Glory

2008-08-05T13:19:00.002-04:00

Cord Chart - For Your Glory

My Church Band Rocks - Update

2008-07-15T18:31:00.005-04:00

Our Church band does rock - THEY WON!!!

Congratulations to the many people who make up Return. WTG!!

One of the songs from the Return Worship CD by our own Southbrook worship team is in a contest on 91.9. If the song receives the most vosts then it gets played on the radio next Monday afternoon. This would be really cool for Southbrook and our hard working worship team. We are currently in the lead but not by much. Go to this link and vote. I think you can vote once every 30 minutes. Once you vote you'll see if we are still ahead.

America Bless God

2008-07-08T12:58:00.010-04:00

After taking a much deserved vacation in Charleston, SC we returned home the other day by way of the mountains in Western North Carolina. We traveled across the entire state of South Carolina to Lake Lure, NC this past Sunday. What a trip! I thought it was so cool to say that we drove from the beach to the mountains in the same day. It reminded me of the lyrics from the song "God Bless America".

...From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam....

We are so fortunate to live in a country that affords us the freedom to travel as we wish and see such amazing sights. Our forefathers also recognized not only the beauty of our nation but the vital importance of God's word in our minds and in our hearts. Here are some examples;

"The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?" - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of Government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart." - PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON

"The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests." - PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior (Jesus) of the world is communicated to us through this book." - PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." - PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON (on September 17th, 1796)

God Bless America and America Bless God!

Make Us One

2008-06-23T11:13:00.003-04:00

After hearing Craig Groeschel speak about his one prayer for unity in the church this weekend at Southbrook, I wanted to blog after a month + long hiatus. In fact I have been and I continue to be so busy that I decided to "borrow" a unity related article I found on the internet as the post for the month. Enjoy!

Proverbs 6:16-19 says,
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush to evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Let me comment on this proverb. It is striking to me that if I were going to make a statement like the one he makes, I am not sure I would have chosen exactly this list. Granted, it makes sense that he began with haughty eyes, because we all know that is one of the most detestable and ridiculous sins. But the one that really surprised me was the last one: “one who stirs up dissension among brothers.” I think as Christians we are very quick to recognize the sins of others and point them out, and yet this is one we can fall prey to easily because the tongue is so difficult to control. We may not always have a lying tongue, but we are pretty good at stirring up dissension among brothers. And that is the seventh, and in a sense, the ultimate thing that is detestable to the Lord. The list begins with pride and ends with dissension. In some of Paul’s lists of heinous sins—drunkenness, orgies, etc.—right there in the middle of the list is dissension. I would encourage you to reflect on this. There are of course other sins that the Lord finds detestable, and yet these are listed for a purpose. This is a sampling, and that one surprised me. We should pray that God would enable us to be those who, by God’s grace, control our tongues. This is especially necessary in the church. Christ is directing the church in the way He wants her to go. But He has appointed human beings, His servants, through whom He has chosen to lead His church. That is, the leadership of a particular church. It is very tempting for us to want to help lead. Now good leaders are delighted if you are consulting the Scripture and making suggestions in a constructive way. That is good. It is our responsibility as Christians to do so. But it is not our responsibility to try to take control where it is not our place to do so. Sometimes there are power struggles in a church that lead to dissension and belie what Jesus said: “They will know we are Christians by our love.” So give attention to the prevention of dissension and recognize that God has appointed these people who lead us. Pray for them, be diligent readers of Scripture, and make suggestions. If you read Scripture and conclude your church is going in the wrong direction, then you can try to earn the right to lead. You may perhaps need to join a different church. But you do not want to conduct a mutiny. What is detestable to God is dissension and discord.

Reference: Summer 2006, V. Philips Long & Covenant Theological Seminary

Saved To Serve

2008-05-19T14:15:00.010-04:00

Today, after an awesome weekend in His presence at Southbrook, I wanted to post a blog after a month (plus) long hiatus. We have a new building going up to accommodate all the people flooding the church. You know, so we don’t have to have a dozen or so services on a weekend. (which is a blessing, don’t get me wrong) One interesting factoid I learned is that our current building has scripture and people's names written on the floors and walls. Now of course you cannot see it after carpet and paint, but every where it is written on the foundation of the church. Cool huh? Well what does this have to do with my post you may ask? Read on my friend. This weekend we were offered the honor of writing scripture and names of people we want to come to know Christ on the foundation of our new worship building.

It was awesome! I wrote one of me and my Grandfather's favorite passages from Romans – 12:1

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Before I wrote that with a sharpie in my hand, I was down on my knees on the floor about to write it then suddenly I was hit with something else, or rather someone else. I could feel the presence of a good friend and brother in Christ with me, Adam Doiron. It has been a little over a year since he went home to be with Jesus but I can still hear his words today, “I have been saved to serve”. I believe he wrote that in his journal while on mission in Germany or at an encounter retreat our church hosts. Anyway, that statement really stuck with me and I strive to achieve the same level of spiritual maturity that Adam had been graced with. So with that being said I think it will be awesome when we are worshiping and hearing God’s word that we will literally be standing on the rock of God's word and standing in faith on Adam’s inspired words. I thank God every day for giving us the opportunity to serve in such an awesome church. I also thank you Adam, we love you and your servant’s heart.

(Overheard) Conversation in Toronto

2008-04-10T13:32:00.015-04:00

While on a business trip in Toronto, (cool city BTW) I was on a TTC train and I overheard a conversation between some young people. They were talking about the "mental state" of Torontonians compared with those living in other major cities in Canada. This discussion piqued my interest and I remember clearly many of the things that were said. On a side note, I was not technically eavesdropping as they were standing right beside me. Kind of hard not to “listen-in” especially since colorful language was used and they were the only ones talking on the train. Anyway, this one paticular young man was almost angry, neigh outraged by the complacency of people who reside in Toronto. He talked about how people walk around like mindless automatons, detached from everything going on around them. I have news for the young men, this “condition” is a widespread disease in urban and, to some extent, suburban North America. We have almost become a society of hermits, each of us creating our own “man caves”. (or woman caves ; ) Several people have called it an “us four and no more” mentality, no room for any outsiders in a group, or from most of our high school days, a “clique”.

I have read where people condense it down to, “We detach daily form others, from what we cannot control, from what we cannot change.” What we need to realize is that there are plenty of things we can change, not just in our own lives but in those who are around us. We need to all think about what kind of legacy we are going to leave behind, starting today. A recent message from our pastor, Rob, outlined this perfectly and it was titled “Living the Dash”. Essentially we have no choice where we are born or when we will die but we have almost complete control of how we live our “dash”, the – that will be on our headstones. If you get a chance I encourage you to listen to it on the podcast here It is a great message from our church’s latest relevant series “One Month to Live”.

In a speech in the 1960’s Timothy Leary said “Like every great religion of the past we seek to find the divinity within and to express this revelation in a life of glorification and the worship of God. These ancient goals we define in the metaphor of the present — turn on, tune in, drop out.” Most people instantly thought he meant take drugs to become enlightened and leave society behind. Years later in an autobiography he explained what he meant and I would like to use that as a template here for my own view on this expression and the relation it has to the post.

'Turn on' meant go within to activate your neural and genetic equipment. Become sensitive to the many and various levels of consciousness and the specific triggers that engage them. – Become aware that you were created for a purpose, find out what it is.

'Tune in' meant interact harmoniously with the world around you - externalize, materialize, express your new internal perspectives. – Become an active participant in not only your own life but in the lives of those who you come in contact with.

'Drop Out' meant self-reliance, a discovery of one's singularity, a commitment to mobility, choice, and change. – Leave behind mainstream society’s idea of what “having it all” means.

I believe that all this can best be summed up in Romans 12:2 (The message) - So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

That is what I want my dash to say to people, and more importantly, to God.

One Month To Live

2008-03-20T08:14:00.003-04:00

My good friend Jay asked me to post this here. Enjoy!

Mission Statement

2008-03-03T12:08:00.008-05:00

This particular post is an amalgamation of questions that I have fielded from my previous post “What If…”. It is also a compilation of replies and hopefully answers to the post and subsequent threads of “Well, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. So what?” from Larry “The Barefoot Bum” Hamelin’s blog. I know, I know, Larry, that was not the title of your post, I am paraphrasing and quoting simultaneously, and at the same time too. ; )

Larry asked me what were the intentions of my project, so let's take a look at that and answer some other questions along the way as well.

Mission Statement: To use a quote from the Blues Brothers “We’re on a mission from God”. To make that statement it takes faith and that in and of itself is a choice. So, if faith is a choice and one decides it to be an absolute in their “mission statement”, then yes it could be said that no logical possible alternative answer could change one's faith. Admittedly not one of us can absolutely prove the many facets of our beliefs nor do we have, what we deem to be, “overwhelming evidentiary support” for our viewpoints. We take it all “on faith”.

Now some viewpoints would propose that anyone who leans towards belief in a creator has made a foolish decision for believing in such things and/or is inflexible in said beliefs. Let me say this, if it foolishness then I am indeed a fool. (see links below)

1 Corinthians 1:21 (Amplified Bible)

1 Corinthians 1:21 (The Message)

The last statement I made about inflexibility is not entirely true. My core belief, that is the acceptance of and faith in the fact that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior, is not going to change. Anything outside of that is up for discussion. At times I will already have formed a strong opinion on a particular topic but again, anything is up for intelligent discussion.

What I intend to accomplish first and foremost is to reach out to secularists that are seeking to have a relationship with God, get “traditional” theists to look into and learn more about why they believe what they believe, and to show atheists that there are theists like myself in society that are willing to have intelligent and rational conversations about their beliefs as well as listen with patience, respect, and love not prejudice, condemnation, and distain.

One thing that I have noticed, and I am not condemning anyone for it, was a tendency to jump on something that I have posted as being an opinion I subscribe to, and often, contradicting what I have said. I have apologized for the perceived duality of my responses. I am sure we can all appreciate that emotion, inflection, and many other components of speech and thought are “lost in translation” on the internet. What I was trying to “get across” in my replies was to say I believe in concept “A” however anyone reading a post or reply could delve deeper into or expand on that concept with supposition “B”. I hope that clears things up for some readers.

I wanted to respond to John Morales question about “what possible rationale there might be for a deity to bother to create a universe in which event and outcome therein from its genesis to its end is known. This seems odd given the attributed benevolence of said deity, for without such a creation no souls need be sent for eternal torture.”, but since I have “gone long” in this post, I will be “saved” I mean save that for another day.

And now, for something totally different....

What if...

2008-02-22T10:46:00.005-05:00

WOW, what a battle of the minds that has taken place this past week. I have refrained from commenting because, honestly, it would be like a JV player joining the defensive line of the Panthers. Well bad example, the Panthers need help, but you get the point.

Very interesting posts have been left both on Rob's Rants and on The Barefoot Bum’s blog. This intellectual tennis match has made me become a “free thinker”. Hey wait, I was one before. Anyway, point in here somewhere; I started looking around “the net”, which I am very skilled at, and I found the fab four of atheism, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. And guess what? They filmed a 2 hour round table discussion on their atheistic, theistic, and secular views as well as their experiences in interacting with each of those groups. Now I know I cannot watch this and expect totally understand all the intracies of why atheists believe what they believe but I can gain more insight into the mind of an atheist. Very interesting stuff.

To me one question loomed high above all others, what if we are wrong. Now “we” can apply to any of the three basic groups, atheistic, theistic, and secular, but I want to focus on “my” group, the theistic. I personally have no problems asking the question “what if I am wrong”. From what I gathered one of the “rubs” that the fab four had was the vehemently persistent opposition from theists to question their faith. Admittedly, that probably accounts for more than half of those professing to be Christian. What I am suggesting is that, much like the rise of free thinking atheists seen in society, there is also a growing movement of free thinking Christians and non-Christians. There are groups out there willing to ask some of the same questions that atheists ask. I propose that the people that are getting the most attention are the “squeaky wheel” fundies. I myself have encountered them from all three aforementioned groups.

Bottom line, I am willing to have open, non-defensive discussion on a wide range of philosophical and social topics. I also hope that we move towards having a society where the sensitivity in the discussion of these topics diminishes. The question still remains, what if you are wrong and I am right?

Radically Transformed

2008-02-18T20:32:00.005-05:00

Let me start this off by saying I am not trying to force my opinion on anyone, I am not making a frontal attack, I do not have a hidden agenda, and I am not taking sides, well maybe a little skewed towards Rob. I considered long and hard on whether or not I wanted to jump "into the fray" here and post a response especially since I am, for the most part, only a “recreational” blogger. We may disagree on most, if not all, points made based on religion, but I believe we have similar opinions in other matters, probably closer than you would think at first blush. If you want to post a reply please post to either my blog Famulus Deus or Rob’s Rants. Oh, and please keep it clean, these are family friendly blogs. : )

There was a post the other day from Rob’s Blog and there were one or two things Larry “the Barefoot Bum” Hamelin and Rob “the Rev” Singleton said that have been gnawing at me to respond to. Now to begin with I am no statistician, theologian, or claim to be an expert in any field for that matter. I do come pretty close to being an expert when it comes to computers and cooking though. : ) Anyway, I am a fairly young Christian, when I say “young” I have only been a believer for about 10 years now. I was once a "militant" atheist sometimes agnostic for many years. I have been a student of countless world religions, cults, and belief systems. In fact, and I will probably catch some flack from someone by saying this, by definition Christianity is a cult.

Our culture has put a negative spin or connotation on the word cult but that is another discussion altogether.

ADD moment over, for now.

Introductions and background aside, back to the post. Larry, commented, "I must say, I’ve never encountered anyone who seems “radically transformed”, but I have met many Christians who were very nice people."

This was in response to one of Rob's earlier replies from the same post stating, "On the other hand, I doubt you’ve encountered someone so radically transformed by the love of Christ that their life just overflows with kindness and an attitude of servant hood, a joy for living, etc. that stuff’s pretty appealing."

I think at this point the discussion was, of course, way off the original topic. It could have become a whole new blog, hey it did, or message series in and of itself. So, question one for Larry and Rob. What would it take for you to believe and/or prove that you have encountered someone who has had what could be defined as a "radical transformation"? Furthermore, perhaps a definition from both of you of “radically transformed” would be in order, please? : ) My attempt at a definition is below.

Without being too presumptuous, as I am sure I have already been; Rob I think you touched on the answer to my question. You talked about someone being “radically transformed by the love of Christ” but perhaps that answer could be expanded on and explained further.

Larry, based on what I have read from your blog and commentaries you are well versed in statistics, probability, and that you consider yourself an amateur philosopher. Do you think that “radical transformations” can occur? (spiritual, natural, metaphysical, etc.) Any and almost all answers from anyone at this point would be either theoretical or simply one’s beliefs of course. ; ) MHO is below.

I do know with 100% certainty that in the physical realm the answer will always be yes because we are all experiencing “radical transformations” right now, and again, hey there is another, and again, and so on and so forth. Every time we take a breath we experience a “radical transformation”, or at least that what biology teaches us. Heck, the big bang was a “radical transformation” that we all are all still witnessing. Is that still a viable theory? Rhetorical of course, unless you want to point me in another direction thus educating me further. ; ) Beyond that quantum mechanics/physics kicks in and "I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics." - Richard P. Feynman

At this point everything is relative or theoretical, but I have severely digressed and for that I apologize to you and your readers Larry. (and Rob’s readers too) I will stop there and let you or anyone for that matter, respond as you see fit. I believe I left some possibly interesting (at least to me) questions for you back there somewhere in one of my ADD moments, I warned you. : )

From my perspective Larry and Rob’s discussion was more likened to, or rather became, a debate about spiritual matters rather than the topic concerning social matters that sparked the original conversation. I believe the two are linked but I would never presume to tell someone else their lifestyle is wrong or flawed. I am pretty sure that was not Rob’s intention either but again that was the catalyst for the discussion, which ultimately is a good thing. I can say that myself and others close to me, have experienced firsthand several "radical transformations". I categorize them as spiritual and physical life changing events that sometimes seemingly had no meaning to some but to others there was no question that those “events” were not merely chance or coincidence. That of course would make it a matter of one’s perspective or viewpoint.

IMHO in most cases those two words, “radical” and “transformation” barely describe the changes, both positive and negative, that I have gone through and/or witnessed. I have seen things happen, for good and sometimes for bad reasons. I am not deluding myself either, trying to find meaning or purpose in the minutia of day to day life. I did that for long enough over intellectualizing, internalizing, or trying to escape reality. It is not just a feeling I have, a hunch, or a guess, I know in my mind and in my heart that it was in God’s will for the things to happen or unfold as they did. Again this is my belief in an omnipresent, loving, God, and also another topic, freewill, destiny, pre-ordination, etc. The choices made and how things played out, in some cases, were firmly grasped by human hands. I do believe that we all have a purpose for our lives and it is revealed to us daily. Our lives will be our legacy to others regardless of what decisions we make or what we believe. How that changes our environs depends on if we create or destroy, it is as simple as that. Ultimately no matter what we believe, “…what we do in life echoes in eternity”.

Anyway the topic was “radical transformation”: as Linda Richmond would say, “Discuss”. Or if you want to take an offensive or defensive Mills Lane like posture then, “Let’s get it on”. ; )

Please post responses either here, Famulus Deus or Rob’s Rants

Rob's Rants Link Back

2008-02-18T07:19:00.001-05:00

rob's rants: Let's just give it Time. and rob's rants: A respose to, "Evolution and Chance"

Revival!

2008-02-14T07:31:00.002-05:00

I posted the following on Rob's blog but I thought it would be good to post it on my blog as well. Enjoy!

Dee and I always grin and joke around when we pass by or hear that a church is having a “revival”. You know the kind, complete with good old fire and brimstone yelling, (I mean preaching) with the covered dish buffet, and baptism under the tent. Well the baptism part is great but we always ask ourselves, what needs “reviving” so bad that they need to have a revival in the first place?

To expand on the topic of “A Death A Day”, during one of my travels across the “net’ I stumbled upon an article that contained some great insight on this topic. The article was paraphrased directly from three 1991 issues of The Trinity Review. Never heard of the publication, maybe someone out there has, but check out this powerful paragraph:

“Do we need revival? No! We need transformation. And this transformation cannot be achieved by “weeping and wailing” before God (as the revivalists would have us do), brought on by some “unusual” outpouring of the Spirit. The transformation that the Bible talks about is the continual sanctification through the Word and the power of the Spirit (Rom. 12:1,2; Phil. 1:6; 2:12,13; 3:20,21). Transformation is the product of our prayers for the courage and the grace of the Holy Spirit; standing fast with the Word in battle; not wavering, not compromising, not being overcome with fear, but steadfast in the cause of the truth — TRUTH! — a word foreign to most of the revival movement, both past and present.” - http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/revival.htm

Forrest Gump’s voice in the background, “That’s all I have to say about that”.

For more interesting church signs like the one above check out Church Sign Generator. Note: no relationship, that I know of, exists between Dr. Joe Langley and my family. (that I know of)

Link Love - B.A.D. (Blog Amnesty Day)

2008-02-12T13:11:00.003-05:00

Ok Rob, here goes, ALA KAZAM!

Hopefully this not only helped smaller blogs get readers, this also helped raise their authority—and raise it A LOT. Project Link love - AKA "B.A.D" complete. (Notice the date. I borrowed a friend’s DeLorean and traveled back to Tuesday so I could create this post ; )

confessions of the preacher’s wife
rob’s rants
craig groshel
av club
garth gilpin
kiko’s house
the moderate voice
three sticks
physio prof
the midpoint
welcomt to pottersville
i miss fafblog
instapundit
correntewire
reno discontent
peace arena
fran i am
fitness for the occasion
electric cerebectomy
drink liberal
drifting through the grift
done with mirrors
dave away from home
dandelion salad
comrade kevin
freida bee
maneegee
cannablog
bildungblog
publius endures
never yet melted
haloscan
skippy the bush kangeroo
brilliant at breakfast
zippidy doo da
terry face place
group news blog
targas tirade
suburban guerrilla
Fausta’s blog
the democratic daily
catinbag
i cant believe its not a democracy
grace magazine
michellesingleton.com
the impolitic
the king pin
pacific views
618 rants
over the cliff, onto the rocks
jon swift
bigdadgib
cannablog
rox populi
on my mind
the galloping beaver
a poetic justice
centerface
zen comix
the news hoggers
never yet melted
my view of it
mr roger’s neighborhood
monkeyfister
mental detritus
maryannaville
marginal utility
maha blog
a blog around the clock
matt and dee langley
lance mannion
culture vulture
smart pastor
abandoned stuff
the art of peace
saying nothing charmingly
nathan ketsdever
jeff kapusta
hugozoom
no fish no nuts
the painted veil
philly bits
pidomon posts
myrtle june
polite company
psotd
ratiocination
rubber hose
shadow of a hedgemon
sir robin rides away
the garlic
the grand panjandrum
zaius nation
the inscription
the largest minority
the seminal
the spitting vessel
vagabond scholar
chuck for
reno and its discontent
american street
the crone speaks
christian views
science blogs
the barefoot bum
writes like she talks
Moes
the-osterley-times

Three Ring Circus!

2008-02-06T10:57:00.001-05:00

Ok I will be the first to admit I LOVE MY BORING LIFE!!!

I will also admit that I have watched those “Swap your wife” shows. They make me squirm. I do not have that much drama in my life and I like it that way. Peace and tranquility are my goal in my household. Well, some of you know that this past Friday (2/1/08) Carl, my 7 year old son, had pretty extensive ear surgery. Well, while we were waiting for Carl to come out of surgery I got a call from my 5 yr old son’s kindergarten teacher. She thought that he had had a mild seizure. I typically don’t panic but to hear the teacher’s voice I was concerned. So I had my mom go and pick up the children. Carl came out of surgery and then my mom and I flipped. She sat with Carl and I went with Will. Needless to say I spent 11 hours in the hospital. I was WIPED!
Thankfully to all the prayers that went up for my boys, they are fine! Carl is recovering well and we have moved Will’s appointment up for the Neurologist to this Thursday (2/7).

I want to thank everyone for their prayers! Our God is AWESOME!!!

I will pass on anything like this happening again because I love my boring life! I like watching a circus but not participating in one!!

See the previous post below if you are coming here from Rob's blog looking for my dating "horror" story.

Worst Date, Ever!

2008-02-04T12:21:00.000-05:00

I don’t think many people know that Matt and I met online. Yes 12 years ago we met on AOL. I wasn’t into internet dating or chat rooms or anything like that and I don’t recommend it to anyone either!

In 1995 I tried this new thing called "the internet"! I had just completed an internship in New York City and I wanted to keep in contact with my boss(es) but didn’t want the phone bills. They did have e-mail, even back, then so I signed up of AOL. (It was the cheapest at the time and pretty much everyone with internet access was on dial-up) A friend of mine in college signed up at the same time I did. She began chatting on AOL with people and that progressed to “in person” parties. This is where you get to meet the people you have been chatting with online. Being the responsible friend I am I wouldn’t let her go by herself. BTW, I only went a total of two times, no really I did!

The first time I went to an "in person" party I met a gentleman who proceeded to tell me “He LOVED me” and “If he told me I had a beautiful body would I hold it against him”. This happened within 10 minutes of me entering the bar! I almost left right there but I stayed. At that same party I met this guy name Steve. Steve was a doll! OH and he smelled SOOOO GOOD! I spent a good long time getting to know Steve. He had beautiful brown curly LONG hair. When I say it was long, it was down to the middle of his back! I am a HUGE 80’s fan so when I saw he drove a Camaro, as well as having the Bon-Jovi "rocker" hair, I was hooked. (OK NO LAUGHING...YET!!)

We spoke several times over the next couple of weeks and made a date. We went to another party but sat in the back in a secluded booth. I have to admit that I was enamored with Steve. He smelled so good, had that "rocker hair" and was HOT! I couldn’t keep my hands to myself I had to run my fingers through his hair! That is when I realized that NONE OF IT WAS HIS!!!! This long hair was a WIG! No not a weave, not a toupee but a WIG!! Then he proceeded to tell me that I “discovered his secret”. I didn’t want to pull away in disgust but when he took the wig off to show me his scraggly hair I couldn’t help but want to scream like I had seen Frankenstein!

I excused myself to the restroom. My friend was also at this party so I found her and told her what had happened. As she began to laugh uncontrollably nearly peeing her pants, and tears flowing out both of our eyes we came out of the bathroom. I was trying so hard to find a way to tell him I was no longer interested in him. When he came up to me and said that someone told him I was crying over him. He said “he couldn’t handle someone who would get so attached to him so quickly and he didn’t think it would work out for us.”

I stood there stunned trying really hard not to laugh right in his face. I let him leave with his delusion and pride intact!

Needless to say I never went to another party again and I stuck to my small circle of friends to talk to online!

As I Ponder the Past and Look Forward to the Future

2008-01-31T19:30:00.000-05:00

Matt and I moved to Charlotte after not “fitting in” too well in Raleigh. We had family there but didn’t really feel like we were thriving. We decided to move to Charlotte in 2004 after several things told us to leave. I know now that God had planned this move. Pastor Rob has said it before but God wanted to grow us. We were stewing; we were taking up space in a pew. He didn’t want us to be Billy Graham’s but he wanted us to be the best Matt and Dee Langley we could be. So here we come to Charlotte and the very first weekend we get here we come to Southbrook, which was the first weekend for Southbrook in the new building. I have walked into many churches where I felt “at home” but the things that we were going to do here I had no clue. He began to work on me immediately. I have always loved to sing and have been told many times that I have a great voice. Although I knew deep down that I would never be Celine Dion. This was a painful dream to die but I kept hearing God say; “no, you have other talents. It is time for you to use them.”

Dee: “But God all I want to do is sing. Please just let me sing. I will sing of your praises everywhere but please just let me sing.”

“No, I know what is best and this is not what I created you for, let it go.”

Dee: “But you wouldn’t give me this desire if this isn’t what you wanted me to do. It says so in your word.”

Dee: “Hello? Aren’t you going to respond?’

And that is when he started to change my heart.

I have worked in children’s ministry before but did NOT feel like that is where God wanted me. I think I have a deep voice or sometimes can come across as sounding stern, I thought that I would scare the children! But obviously God knows better. As I began working at Southbrook I HATED IT! God is more interested in your character not your comfort! OH BOY! Did I ever have some growing pains but I began to see what his desire for me was. It was to use the goof-ball in me to reach children that otherwise weren’t being reached. Where I hadn’t been able to fit in before I do with these children! I am not done growing and I am sure God will stretch me some more but over the past three years I have truly found my heart’s desire!

Prayer Requests:

We have an immediate need for prayer. Carl our 7 yr old who has been diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum went to the ENT on Monday. He has a hole in his ear drum that is about 40% of his ear drum. He has so much scar tissue in his ear they are pretty sure that two of his ear bones are gone. On Friday February 1st he will go in for his third ear operation. Will you please pray with us that God will bless the surgeon’s hands, heal Carl’s ear, and perfect a healing in his body! Also, and this is a selfish prayer, I am such a goof-ball and have always loved being me but have found myself hurting over not being able to “fit” into the life that I saw everyone else having. I don’t have a lot of friends and I always used to. I also always wanted (and still do) desire to have a close bond with a woman (besides my mother). Someone who gets me and wants to help me grow, keep me accountable, and I return the favor to her as well.

Thanks for reading and praying. Have a great week!

The Best Gift I Have Ever Received

2008-01-16T21:43:00.000-05:00

Ok, Dee will take the reigns first:

I, like most people, would say that my children are the best gift I have ever received. Over the past several years I have been blessed enough to witness the best gift they could ever receive. In turn I realized that although my children are truly wonderful magnificent gifts, the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice for us and our salvation is the best gift of all.

As we have been at Southbrook I have gotten to witness not one but two of my children come to Christ. And my third is so excited about his turn, but as a mom I want to be sure this is his decision and not just a reaction to “wanting to join in”.

Here is a small clip from Southbrook of the past year (2007) where I got to receive one of my most precious gifts. Take a Look:

Matt's turn:

It is so cool to see my children coming up knowing Him. I like The Message version of Proverbs 22:6: Point your kids in the right direction— when they're old they won't be lost. Oh! Also, I can hardly wait for the February 4th leadership meeting of men to strengthen and hone my leadership duties as priest of my household . Our church in Raleigh - New Horizons Fellowship used Proverbs 27:17 for its men's group - As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. I pray that the buring passion to reach and be reached by Christ will continue in our church, community, city, state, country and all over the world. Take care everyone and have a great rest of the week, weekend, and so on and so forth.

More Than Just Another Year

2008-01-09T12:32:00.000-05:00

I have got to hand it to you Rob, you did it again. It is awesome to see and hear how the Spirit inspires you. Dee and I have commented how often it seems like you are talking directly to us or speaking on a situation we are in. I was especially moved by the part in this post about the "everlasting supply of urgent things" and how we won't escape those things "until we see Jesus face to face". We have been struggling with distractions and spiritual warfare in our lives and have been pretty diligent not to let our joy or peace get taken away in those situations. (Finances, health, job, etc.) As Shakespeare put it, there is "the rub". If I am reading you right, to sharpen our future hindsight we must keep our focus on Him, walk closer with Him, read and hear His Word with open hearts, and lean not on our own understanding. (JKV there ; )

Thanks again Rob for your continued inspiration. YOU ROCK!

Happy New Year! (Almost)

2007-12-31T17:51:00.000-05:00

Well it is almost time for 2008! My how fast this past year has gone by. We have had a lot of challenges this year but at the end of it we are feeling really good about the coming new year. We will probably do the usual tonight. Fall asleep around 10:30 PM, wake up an hour later, watch the ball drop, kiss each other good night, and go back to sleep. Here's to everyone out there in blog land, hope you all have a safe, blessed and happy new year!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2007-12-25T18:13:00.000-05:00

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate Christmas than to see 179 people come to Christ @ Southbrook in ONE NIGHT. (and almost 1100 for the year) Praise His Holy Name! Merry CHRISTmas everyone and a big shout out to Rob. You and the whole mighty Southbrook staff, lay leaders, and volunteers ROCK!

I know 2008 is gonna be a great year and my family and I are so excited to be witnesses to what God has in store for us.

Holiday Greetings for All!

2007-12-20T13:03:00.000-05:00

Although both political parties are equally represented in our household we agreed that this is pretty funny.

To All My Democrat Friends: Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To My Republican Friends: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

One Week 2 Go!

2007-12-18T20:25:00.001-05:00

PRAISE HIM!! PRAISE HIM!! PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!!

2007-12-10T19:31:00.000-05:00

Most of you know that Matthew and I have been going through a bit of a stretching period over the past four months. We have been blessed with so much growth over this period of time it is PHENOMINAL!!! I can’t praise God enough for allowing us to draw close to him over this time. We have been given so much peace and love this “dry” period has just allowed us to see how wonderful God is!

I, of course, have had my moments of stress where I wanted to take back the problem instead of letting Him handle it but overall I tried my best to give it all to Him. I know, I know as Matthew and Yoda says “Do or Do not, there is no Try”. Or we have heard trying is just failing with honor!

As we come into this season of remembering God I wanted everyone to praise Him with me. Oh! I guess I didn’t say. MATTHEW GOT HIRED ON WITH PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS!!!

PLEASE Help me to Praise our Heavenly Father for being the wonderful Father that he is!

The day after Matt got his job offer we read in our daily bible time this scripture;

Psalm 126:4-6

“Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they got to plant their seed, but they will sing as they return with the harvest.”

Please sing with me, Give shouts of joy with me as Matthew and I begin our harvest!

Thank you Father for your son! Thank you for Southbrook! Thank you for loving us!

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah? (Repost)

2007-12-04T09:37:00.000-05:00

The term"Chrismahanukwanzakah" was first used in a commercial by Virgin mobile in 2004, but I just heard it last year. My wife and I have always used it jokingly, but this year I decided to not take it so lightly. It is sad that we have to "tone down" our celebration of Christ's birth just to make everyone happy. I am not saying to outlaw the other celebrations but that we, the 80-90 percent of Americans who profess to be Christians, need to bring the focus back onto Christ this time of year. (and throughout the year as well) I went to Wikipedia and found this interesting snippet on their website:

"Virgin Mobile has been criticized for removing the "t" in Christmas, yet including the subsequent "m" (i.e. spelling Chrismas). Some believe this to be a conscious attempt by Virgin at ensuring the word "Christ" not be spelled out in its advertising. Some believe Virgin Mobile would not want the term "Christ" in its advertising for secular reasons, while others assert that Virgin Mobile is avoiding criticism from Christian organizations for including "Christ" in the mish-mash holiday."

Looks like another prime example of the secular community wanting to suppress the "reason for the season". Now, again, I am not saying that we need to pull out the tinfoil hats and scream conspiracy but we do need to really look at how we are celebrating Christmas as well as where our hearts and minds are during the most wonderful time of the year.

Confused? If I Was I Am Not Anymore

2007-12-02T20:19:00.000-05:00

Great message from Pastor Paul @ Southbrook last night, the worship was awsome too! I came away from both without any confusion as to who is King, Hosanna in the highest. Oh, and we missed you too Rob. Hope you had the opportunity to chill and spend time with loved ones.

What You Talking Bout Rob - No Mo' Technorati?

2007-11-29T16:13:00.000-05:00

Let me be the first to say congratulations on your departure from technorati. I consider myself a computer “guru” and I call that my profession. Even with my years of experience I have not fully grasped the intricacies of "the net". It gives me pause to think my children may soon be getting on MySpace or using instant messaging. Don’t get me wrong, used properly I think the net is a great medium for reaching out to people, connecting with friends, family, and even strangers, which can be a good thing and sometimes even bad. As Pastor Jeffery said last night when you test your salvation you have to ask yourself “Do you care about others?” I know that your heart was in the right place. You were trying to reach out to the lost, but if it takes away from that goal then it sounds more like it has become a hindrance rather than a help. We have been blogging with you since you started and we are sure the blog will continue to reach the lost. You yourself have said not to throw out the baby with the bath water. ; )

Anyway, I think that we can sum everything up with an “age old” Christian cliché. What Would Jesus Do? Why do I use that phrase? If you watched any of the Republican debate Mike Huckabee was asked one question in particular by Anderson Cooper and a You Tuber, “What would Jesus do? Would Jesus support the death penalty?’’ Huckabee quickly responded “Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office, that's what Jesus would do.’’ Similarly I have read on another site that “Jesus doesn't need to blog, he already wrote everything we need to know in His book.” I think the same holds true in this situation, Rob, and my family and I have got your back in whatever direction this journey takes us. (just don't pull out the kool-aid, especially when you have us all under one tent) It does not matter how much technorati authority we have but how much of His authority is evident in our lives.

What I Am Thank | Full For...

2007-11-22T06:10:00.001-05:00

EVERY DAY I AM THANKFUL FOR GOD'S GRACE, CHRIST'S SACRIFICE, MY FAMILY, & BEING LED TO THE CROSS

Linda Richmond and I Would Say, “It's Like Butta”

2007-11-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

Great post Rob. In fact the culinarian (fancy term for chef) in me would like to break it down further. I will use a cooking process as an analogy and, at the same time, explain where I came up with the title of my post.

As you may or may not know in cooking there are sauces, stocks, and other preparations made through a purifying process called clarifying. You know, the clear butter you dip your lobster in, or a really clear soup called consume’. Anyway, when clarifying butter or a stock you need an outside ingredient or source, be it heat or egg whites etc., to remove the impurities. Take butter for example. You start by placing butter in a saucepan over a very low heat, letting the butter melt slowly. As the butter melts, it will separate. The top layer is a foamy scum while the second layer contains the bulk of the liquid we want in the end product. There is a bottom layer which is where the water and the milk solids are. This natural separation is what makes clarifying possible.

Now the good part, and there are just so many ways I can go with this it is making me a little verklempt, talk amongst yourselves for a second. I will give you a topic, Microsoft Works is neither micro, soft, nor works, discuss. (Sorry, computer geek in me coming out ; )

Ok, in one of Rob’s examples of the pitfalls of “clarification” he said, and I quote, “Example Three: “That’s not what I meant by that! Let me clarify!” <– Truth? The first thing you said is exactly what you meant. It’s what comes next that ends up being the lie, but you’ve been found out, so now you need to “clarify.” WOW, that is exactly like the butter. It was originally real butter (the truth) but after it was manipulated, the scum (lie) came to the surface. One good thing is that the truth, the first thing that was said, is still in there somewhere.

So how can we get that back and in all things speak and seek the truth? Test everything against His Word and follow Christ’s example. He is the “heat source” that refines, cleanses, and removes any impurities (sin) in our lives. Isn’t it awesome to know that, even though we don’t deserve it, we are clarified (spotless) because of His sacrifice and His shed blood? We truly serve an awesome God. Oh and Rob, still got your back. http://www.robsingleton.net/

Have You Ever Noticed?

2007-11-05T20:01:00.000-05:00

In an Andy Rooney-esque tone, "have you ever noticed that sometimes people can say things that not only make sense but really stick with you?" I can remember and have picked up a lot of maxims and rituals from other people that I still remember and use to this day. I once was told by a good pastor friend of mine, Ray, that it is best to learn from and emulate people and organizations that have had success and expand on that success. I do not want to just do something because someone else is doing it but if it works for them..... Anyway, after hearing Rob's message yesterday I wanted to try praying on my knees. I think I have a healthy prayer life, consistently set aside devotional time, and work on ways to strengthen my walk with Jesus every day. After praying on my knees last night and this morning the area of prayer just went to a whole new level. I thanked Him for our church and ALL the leaders, our family, our wealth, the skills and abilities he has given us, and many more things. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with something I cannot describe in words. A few that would come close would be awe, reverence, overwhelming joy, brokenness, humility, and love. I know it sounds like a whirlwind of emotions but it was more than just that, He showed up big time. I was not expecting that but I am so glad that door to an even deeper connection with His Spirit was opened. I am thankful for you Rob. http://www.robsingleton.net/

Thank you for sharing your heart, and rituals, with us. I would also like to thank you and the whole staff for opening your lives for His fame, His will to be done, and to reach out, touch, and move us all. Cannot wait to see what is next.

On the Launch Pad

2007-10-01T15:08:00.000-04:00

Continuing on with the worship theme, I remember something Rob said in the past, probably during a stewardship series. "We should not come to church to worship but come worshiping". That should include ALL aspects of our walk not just the singing of GREAT songs from our worship teams. We should be excited to be able to give back to His body from what we have been given charge over. What great a attitude to have, be excited about giving! Rob has not been the first Pastor to say this to me but if you test Him by giving you will not be let down, His word does not return void. The word says - Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10 I did not get this until about 6-7 years ago when we were members at NHF and the pastor there said that if you are not giving your tithe with joy then test Him for 30 days and see what happens. I had always tithed but not with the right heart. The attitude when you give does make a difference. In fact, if you want to talk about Ignition, when I finally "got it", tithing that is, our finances were suddenly firing on all eight cylinders . Now I am not saying you will not go through some dry seasons but if you give with the right heart, out of your first fruits, God will provide. I am sure you have heard from other people, their family's, and from previous posts. Another scripture that has always stuck with me is - Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26

Lay it out Rob and let’s get Southbrook off the launch pad and into orbit!

P.S. Awesome does not even come close to describing Saturday night at the CD launch. The Spirit was definitely in the house. You could feel the love between God, the worship teams, and the worshipers. Thank you all for leading us into His presence.

Countdown to Ignition

2007-09-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

This post is in in response to another post on Pastor Rob's blog - AKA http://www.robsingleton.net/ - Lead Pastor @ Southbrook

What Dee and I do is start the morning with a modified Ephesians 6:10-18 declaration like:

Today I put on the full armor of God, shoes of peace, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword which is the Word. To top it all off we put on our crown of favor that has been given to us by the most high God.

We go on with our day, acting as Christ's personal representatives, we pray together, and then begin the task(s) before us. During the day we may read a devotional, listen to worship music,
(which will be the Return Worship CD after Saturday ; ) or meditate on a piece of the Word. No matter what comes at us we remember Who we belong to, Who we work for, and that He has everything in the palm of his hand. At the end of the day we have been reading our one year
bible, since January 1st (Yay!) and it has grown, strengthened, and deepened our relationship with the Father. I highly recommend getting a copy and starting immediately. It only takes fifteen minutes a day. Here is a link to the one we purchased - NIV - One Year Bible

As I said, it only takes 15 minutes to read and you get a bit of the old and new testament as well as a psalm and a proverb. Consider it a spiritual value meal. It is quick, easy to read, and you cannot go wrong with the format of how the Word is presented in this one. It is great especially if you struggle with following, comprehending, or actually taking the time to read His Word.

I have heard it said that the most powerful prayer you can pray is “Father, use me to do your will”. If you dare to say it, and mean it with all your being, hold on for the ride of your life. Not saying it is going to be all roses and warm fuzzy puppy dogs, because you will come under attack, but you will be forever changed and His glorious light will shine through you. Rob, tell the staff that we pray with and for them every day, we are with you and the whole team. We can feel the coming explosion about to rock Weddington, Charlotte, the US, and the world. Looks like Southbrook is going to be at the epicenter and I cannot think of a better place to be at this time. Thank you Rob and a ginormous thank you to The Spirit that is moving in our church. We cannot hold it in anymore!

Re-Post / No More Trying

2007-09-21T18:53:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's official, I am now a slacker. But let's be honest, in one way or another, we are all slack in one or more areas of our lives. I will explain further what I mean by that later in this post.

It is funny, our pastor @ Southbrook even called me out last week. Not really, but he noticed my disappearance from my regular postings on his site and he saw the entry on my blog titled "I Have Been Slack". So with that shame out of the way I will say this: I make no excuses, no apologies, and, to be honest, I am not even going to try anymore. Why am I not going to try any more you ask? I heard someone say a few weeks ago "trying is failing with honor" and it really stuck with me. Think about it, like a New Year’s resolution we often say we are going to try to do something but often lack the follow-through. We say things like I am going to try to spend more time with my wife or family, I am going to try to lose weight, quit smoking, or invite a co-worker to church but how often do we actually do those things. You can just about insert anything into the phrase "I am going to try to ....".

In the great words of the Jedi Master and Philosopher Yoda "Do, or do not. There is no try." If you saw Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Luke did not believe the Force could lift a massive object. He was proven wrong when Yoda telekinetically lifted the X-wing fighter and placed it on dry land. Still Luke was unwilling to admit or accept the wisdom that was offered, and believe that what he saw was true - he did not believe that he could move the ginormous object ; that is why he failed.

After thinking about it I have taken the word "try" out of my vocabulary altogether, now I do. So with that being said I will do a post at least once a month. Seems like a good interval since it has been a month since my last post. If you want to hear more about the topic of "Do, or do not. There is no try", or as Pastor Rob calls it "Facing the Giants" check out his podcast here.

Do have a good week!

Also check out Rob's Blog "AKA" http://www.robsingleton.net/

Me Church

2007-09-15T15:54:00.000-04:00

I found this during my web adventures - Me Church.

Funny but kinda sad at the same time too.

Want to come to a church that is relevant and has a heart for Him and for you?

Then check out Southbrook.

See you there!

What Was I Thinking?

2007-09-09T20:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, so it has been more than month since my last post. No excuses but I lost my job, my car, and well actually just about everything you can think of has happened except my dog getting rund overed. (Borrowed that from a country song ; ) Anyway, through it all we still have a peace which passes all understanding. In fact every day we, wife, kids and I, do this from Ephesians 6:10-18.

We put on the full armor of God, shoes of peace, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. To top it all off we put on our crown of favor that has been given to us by the most high God.

Do it every day and you will be ready for anything Satan throws your way!

No More Trying

2007-05-20T08:35:00.000-04:00

Remember Their Sacrifice

2007-04-16T16:48:00.000-04:00

My mom sent me this link, remember their sacrifice, and I wanted to share it here. I pray for our soldiers, their loved ones, for their safety, and quick return home.

A Tremendous Loss

2007-04-03T11:23:00.000-04:00

Friday the 31st of March we lost a good friend of ours, Adam Doiron.

Kate and Adam were among some of the first friends we met when we came to Southbrook two years ago. We were even in a small group with them for a while. You could just see and feel his passion for Christ and his love for others every time you were around him. As a man looking at how much he loved the Lord, I pray that I could be as “sold out” for His fame and glory as Adam is. My family and I will truly miss him. We pray for strength and peace for Kate and that God’s love will comfort Adam’s family in the difficult days and weeks ahead. We truly feel the loss of an honorable and great man in Christ.

Thank you for all you did for our Lord and the great example of His love you were to all of us.

Love and miss you Adam!

I Have Been Slack

2007-03-26T11:14:00.000-04:00

Been busy, really busy. Please excuse my absence. Check this out http://www.robsingleton.net/ It is our Pastor's new blog. Still feeling it out. Hopefully I will be able to post something on my own soon. Like in April. : )

Take care!

Prayer for Boldness

2007-02-26T09:40:00.000-05:00

Another great message this weekend from Pastor Rob. He shared his experiences with divorce and exposed a side of himself that I was not aware of. (and would never have guessed he had experienced that kind pain) We were also asked to take a hard look and see if we were keeping our covenant with God and The Church. I stood up to be prayed for as I think I can always do better in keeping that covenant. Therefore I am moved to pray for boldness in the coming year to invite people to Southbrook to come and hear the "reports" from Rob on the good news of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I found an awesome way to pray for that directly from scripture.

Acts 4:23-31

When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

AMEN!

Fifth "G" - Go

2007-02-12T19:52:00.001-05:00

I have been REALLY busy so I missed a week posting. Going to get out easy this week too. This is in reply to Pastor Rob's recent post where 17 people came to Christ this past weekend. Check this out:

Awesome! That rocks! The Spirit is moving on SCC and people are growing in Him. I was on my way to work today,listening to 91.9 and they were talking about a video and how awesome it is. They said that if you watch this and you are not moved "your wood is wet". I went to the website, did more searching and found out more about it. Scroll down to see it, there is about 8 seconds of silence before it starts. This Rocks

I was definitely moved. The pastor spoke for 6 minutes about God. I want to start every day realizing, rejoicing, and resting in the truths in this message. Rather fitting too, the site is called Ephesians 4:14 "...Then we shall be no longer infants, tossed back and forth by the waves..." Makes me want to get up an "Go"!

Fourth "G" - Grow

2007-01-31T09:57:00.000-05:00

Today is our 9th anniversary! I love my wife more and more each day. Talk about growing. Love is awesome! God is Love! I Love growing with and through God. In fact God has grown me more in the past 2-3 years than ever before in my life. This past week's message hit a note with me about loving my brothers and sisters in Christ. It is hard enough to ask for forgiveness from God but even harder to humble your self and ask for forgiveness from a brother or sister. Well needless to say it was placed on my heart to seek out a particular brother, swallow my pride, and ask for forgiveness. Of course the person was unaware of my issues with them, and they were actually quite surprised. I hope that they knew how sincere I was in asking for and explaining my thoughts that were wrong to feel towards them. I am now ready for communion with the Lord tonight @ Southbrook knowing that I have learned how to be humble in a particular area. Feels good to let go of hurt, I am prayerfully hopeful that I can continue to release, let go, and learn more and more as I grow in Christ. Have a great week.

Third "G" - Gather

2007-01-25T08:30:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy with work and family that I have been slack in posting this week. I am sorry and will try to get back into a normal pattern of posting soon. (whatever "normal" means) I once heard a pastor say that things there really is no such thing as normal or "after I finish this life is going to slow down". Doesn't happen. He did say that it will slow down eventually, like when you die. I believe that it is going to slow down a lot then. After that it all depends on what God has planned for us in His Kingdom. That is my goal now too, seek His Kingdom. Geoffrey spoke Wednesday about simplifying and checking everything we do asking, is this action leading me to seek His Kingdom. Sounds like a good question to ask yourself constantly.

Great service this past weekend about the third "G" - Gather. I do not have my notes with me so here is a link to the message: http://www.southbrookchurch.com/ Look at the lower right for the mp3 and podcast versions.

Have a good one!

Second "G" - Give

2007-01-15T11:49:00.000-05:00

I found this on my web travels and thought it would be relevant to the next "G" - Give.

"In Romans 12:1, the apostle Paul applied the truths of what he had already written to the followers of Jesus in Rome. He said, "Present your bodies a living sacrifice." He also urged us to keep our bodies from sinning and to avoid the world's corruption by renewing our minds. We are often told to give our hearts or our lives to Christ. So why did Paul call attention to our bodies? If we are to carry out God's will, it will be with our bodies.

Every pastor has members who say, "I won't be in the service next Sunday; we'll be up at the lake. But I'll be there in spirit." Unfortunately, the "spirit" will contribute nothing to the atmosphere of praise and worship. We also offer God our bodies as a response to His love. The body is a gift worthy of God. Consider the value of the human hand. The brilliant surgeon Dr. Paul Brand, in describing operations performed on the hand, said, "I don't know of a single operation anyone has devised that has succeeded in improving a normal hand. It's beautiful."

This year, give God something beautiful. Offer Him not just your heart, but your hands, body, spirit, mind-your entire being!"

I want to offer Him my entire being and I have heard that the most powerful prayer you can pray is one where you ask God, "use me, your will be done in my life". Are you in good hands? (I know, sounds like the Allstate commercial)

First "G" - Glorify

2007-01-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

We attend Southbrook and they are beginning a series called "G-Force". The series is based on the 5 core purposes of the Church and they are as follows:

Glorify: We want to love God by worshiping Him with joy and celebration!

Give: We want to show our love to others by serving them.

Go: We want to go and tell the world the Good News about God—that He loves us and wants us to know Him.

Grow: We want to help everyone follow God and become more like Him.

Gather: We want to identify with Jesus by becoming part of His community through baptism.

The most recent message was on "Glorify". Pastor Rob broke it down and laid it out, like only he can. Let's break it on down further. (Props to Wikipedia for the definition)

Glory - (from the Latin gloria, "fame, renown") is used to denote the manifestation of God's presence in the Judeo-Christian religious tradition. In Hebrew it would probably be the word הוד Hod. For example, see Exodus 24:16. It is also used simply to express God's majesty and honor, or God's miraculous power.

I really get fired up about that last part, expressing God's majesty and honor, or God's miraculous power. WOW! What do you think?

New Years Revolution

2007-01-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

New Year's is traditionally a time of resolutions: maybe you're thinking that this year you'll lose weight or try to be a better person. Why not try to start a New Years Revolution? The Spirit is moving over Southbrook and 2007 is going to be one of the greatest for the people it touches and the community it reaches. Just check out Pastor Rob's blog for a glimpse of things to come.

I found this in my web travels and thought I would share because it motivates me to reach the lost both on and off line now.

"The Spirit is at work, showing us what Christ has done, and how that makes a difference in what's going on around us. The Spirit's witness to Christ doesn't function like a hypertext link. One doesn't click one's mouse on the Spirit's doings and get taken to the front page of Jesus' Cybersalvation Web Site. First of all, your mouse-clicking takes more initiative than you can take in restoring your relationship with God (or, in church-talk, it's God's grace in Christ's work on the cross that saves you, not anything you do). Second, the Spirit leads us into Christ's presence and Christ's character, two things that don't pop up on a screen and say 'I'm here'. Then, the Spirit works to get our own Web Site to take on the character that others would recognize as Christ's, for instance, by removing the annoying banner ads for the causes and ideas we're stuck on, or the irritating pop-up windows with our excuses, or the sneaky spy cookies that gather the information we might want to use against others. The Spirit is trying to push this Body of the Scared past their fears into full contact with the rest of reality, especially with other people who are not aware of Christ, or who hear the Name and yawn."

Happy New Year!

2006-12-29T07:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2006-12-25T06:58:00.000-05:00

Santa Vs. Jesus

2006-12-20T08:35:00.000-05:00

I found this on the web and I though I would share. There is no comparison, of course, but I found it very thought provoking and quite uplifting.

Santa: Lives at the North Pole

Jesus: Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Santa: Comes dressed in a red suit

Jesus: Luke 2:12 "And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

Santa: Comes to your home once a year

Jesus: Matthew 28:20 "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Santa: Brings gifts

Jesus: Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Santa: Gives gifts to good children

Jesus: Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Santa: Places presents under a tree

Jesus: 1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on a tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Santa: We prepare for his coming

Jesus: 1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when Christ is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Santa: Children watch for him

Jesus: Matt 24:42-45 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect Him."

Santa: Comes with reindeer

Jesus: Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

Santa: Enjoys having children sit upon his knee

Jesus: Matthew 19:13-14 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and bless them, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

Santa: We give him milk and cookies

Jesus: We usually give Jesus nothing at Christmas and its His birthday!

This last part is so simple but so true. As for me I am taking out the “stuff” and fluff of Christmas and focusing on the first six letters, CHRIST. Have a blessed day!

What About Santa?

2006-12-11T10:25:00.000-05:00

You know having kids always has you thinking of something you never thought of before. What do I mean? As a Christian and a parent I want to help my children avoid the pitfalls I have been plagued with in my life. I know that I am not going to be able to shield them from all of these but I want to equip them with the tools to know how to overcome anything they come across.

Well how do you handle Santa, Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny??

Well a couple of years ago when Alex was about 3 or 4 we came across a book called "The Truth about Santa Claus". What a wonderful find! I had been telling the kids that Santa did exist but he died a long time ago. I wanted them to know how much Saint Nick loved Jesus but I didn't know how to address it. So now every Christmas we read this book and let the kids ask questions. They still think Santa is coming from time to time but on Christmas morning they never say "What did Santa bring me?" It is usually adults who ask that question to my kids. Now I don't want them to kill Christmas for another kids and I haven't heard of them doing that but I want them to know the truth.

I have heard some adults say "I remember when I found out about Santa and it crushed me!" "My parents lied to me!" I don't think my kids would react like that but as strongly as I feel about lying I didn't want to take a chance.

The tooth fairy, well I couldn't find any "Christian" basis for it so I have gone along with the Tooth Fairy myth. When my kids come out and ask me "Mom are you the tooth fairy?" I will tell them the truth.

About the Easter Bunny. We haven't had a problem with this. We do get the kids Easter baskets but because we celebrate Jesus' gift to us they have never even mentioned the Easter bunny! What a blessing!! Thank you Lord for my beautiful, precious gifts!!

Although we have created our own little "myth". We have started the Valentine fairy. I remember when I was in school we would give valentine to everyone in class at school. What year was it that we began giving them only to the people we liked? I wanted my children to know that they are my valentine each and every year so I created this little way to tell them I love them!!

Any way you slice it we are giving them a solid foundation, teaching them the One Truth, the Way, and the Life.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Dee's First Post!

2006-12-07T09:05:00.000-05:00

Ok I guess it is my turn to blog now.

We are part of the Mighty Men, Women, and Youth (MMWY) for God at our church. Really it boils down to committing your life to God. Really striving to put him first. I know as Christians we are taught at a very young age when people ask “What’s important to you?” You are always supposed to say God first, but how many of us REALLY do that? I am guilty like everyone else I am sure. But for some reason this time is different.

As I say that I have an illustration. Last night (12/6) it is MMWY Wednesday at our church, Southbrook. Ok Wednesday’s are nuts anyway we try to get off of work, come home to walk the dog long enough for him to “do his business”, go get children from daycare while other half picks up food (if we didn’t make it the night before), RACE to church, to have enough time to eat and sign kids into Little Southbrook. Well when we signed up for MMWY Matt and I made a commitment to ourselves, each other, and the church to be there for every MMWY service. When things don’t go smoothly Matt and I have a tendency to say “This is too hard let’s just not go.” We refused to do that and boy to we get tested on that!

I thought I would be smart and run some work errands about an hour before “quitting time” so that I could run my errands and be ahead of the game to church (I guess I should really say ahead of the race). My first errand which should have only taken 25 min tops took nearly the entire hour!! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Ok so I race to make my next stop. Oh well that only took 2 minutes YIPPEE Maybe I can get back on track. WRONG!!!! Then I hit downtown traffic but the traffic home was light. So I start this game in my head “Maybe I can make it . .. Oh! Crap! I’m going to be late!” Well by the time I got to 485 on Idlewilde I had 5 minutes to get home, let the dog do what dog’s do, get the kids and be on my way to church. Needless to say the typically 2 minute trip home became 25 minutes!!

I am supposed to pick the kids up by 6pm it was 6:25 by the time I got everyone and we were on our way to church. In my head I am thinking if I hadn’t made this commitment I swear I would turn around and go back home. But I knew in my soul that if I stuck it out it would be so worth it! And boy did God ever deliever!!

Well we got to church at 6:40pm just in time for service to start. We sat down ate our dinner, and then signed the kids in. We were late but we were there. I know what most of you are thinking, “Good Gosh after al of that how did you focus on the service?” For some reason everything fell away the moment I got to church. In fact as I was slurping the last little bit out of my straw (in service) Matthew began to give me the “Dad” look. You know “If you make that big slurping sound in church you are going to regret it Missy!” Of course I was trying so hard not to laugh!

Ok back to God delivering. I swear it was like it was straight out of a movie. Rob is preaching on “GO” one of the five purposes of our church. As he is I see God just envelope him with this heavenly light. He reached out and spoke directly to me. OK he did speak directly to me but his sermon was working in me as well. Go is one of the hardest one for me. No it isn’t hard for me to talk about Jesus but I seem to be surrounded by Christians. When I try to reach out I pray that God will give me words so I don’t sound “Preachy”. But I always feel like I fall so short.

I pray that God will use all of us (including me) to spread his news, to the hardest people of all to reach, the people we are closest too!

Thanks for listening and I look forward to hearing from any of you who are out there!

Dee

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah?

2006-12-04T08:40:00.000-05:00

Night Of Worship

2006-11-30T11:06:00.000-05:00

Last night was an AWESOME night of worship at Southbrook . It is so cool how God can show up, calm us down, slow the pace, and make it possible for us to focus on Him. We are truly blessed among all men to have that opportunity every month, to be captivated by The Spirit, and led by our mighty pastoral staff. I pray everyday for our church, it’s staff, and the body.

Today I would particularly like to pray for everyone from Ephesians 4:1-16

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Amen! God is good, ALL the time! I am more than happy to be captive and also set free in Him.

Flat Tire Thanksgiving

2006-11-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

It is the Monday after the Thanksgiving Holiday and I'm coming out of a turkey induced, tryptophan funk. Need another day off but I am slowly getting back into my routine of being hyper-busy with work and family. (still love it nonetheless) The past few days were a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. Definitely one of the most interesting Thanksgivings I have experienced, to say the least. We went to Raleigh to be with family and one of the “highlights” of the weekend was a flat tire, on turkey day no less. I wanted to go home and cry. The one thing that kept me sane was God and my wife. I kept thinking of Philippians 4:7

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Under those circumstances, I needed that peace. My wife may disagree, but I think I handled the situation pretty well.

What Are You Thankful For?

2006-11-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for the sacrifice that Jesus made to save us from sin. I am thankful for God's mercy and favor. I am thankful for my family, my wife, my children, my health, and my loved ones. I am thankful for my home church and my brothers and sisters in Christ. I am thankful that God blessed us with the opportunities we are presented with, His presence in our lives, and His will being done through us. I am thankful for this great nation we live in, and all the freedoms we have, but, most of all, I am thankful for the ability to call on Jesus at anytime. My redeemer, restorer, rebuilder, rewarder, to only a God like You do I give my praise.

What are you thankful for?

The First and Great Commandment

2006-11-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

From Mark 12:30 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Great message over the weekend at Southbrook from Tim Buwick. A healthy fear of the Lord is a good thing. Tim closed with some encouraging, powerful, Spirit filled Words of God.

Joshua 1:1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

The Great Commission

2006-11-18T07:08:00.000-05:00

No better way to start this off that with some scripture. With some help from Wikipedia, of course.

Matthew 28:16-20: Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(NIV)